Tile exhibitor



Jan.- 19, 1932. w. MCCOY 1,841,620

TILE EXHIBITOR Filed Sept. 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l MINV E NTOR q) M ATTORNEY W. M COY TILE EXHIBITOR Jan. 19, 1932 Filed Sept. 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r I f 2. i

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R 0 E V m% ATTORNEY general lcolor. Heretofore, .the

Patented Jan. 19, 1932 name sr res PA ENT oFFI-C WIL IAM irccoz, or ZANESVI'LEL'E, orrro, ASSIGNOR. TOAMERICAN ENCAUSTICJIIIJING.

' COMPANY LTD, on NEW YORK, N. Y.',"A CORPORATION orn-nwyonx EXHIBITOR Application med September 21, 1927. Serial :No. 221,125.

This invention .is an apparatus for exhib- .iting and displaying commodities of one kind or another, but while it possesses certain 4 characteristic features rendering it useful for exhibiting tiles now used so generally in'the construction of dwellings, ofiice bulldingsand other structures, it is to he understood that I do not limit orrestrictthe apparatus for the display of the specified commodity. 7

Persons skilled iznzthe sales and installation of tiles for walls, ,fioors andother partsof a dwelling, building or the like, are itully :cog-

nizant f=the fact that suchtiles are .characteriz-ed by the presence on their surfacesof a decorative ornamentation which frequently takes the :torm of a glaze in difierent colors,

or oifglazes in d-ifierent shades of the same common practice inlthe display of tiles is to exhibit a number of diiferently colored tiles,.or tiles hearing .differentshades. .01" the same color, @011 .a :panel or series of panels, all of which are exposed at onetime to view .in a .show room.

. Such'display of all the tiles at one time for inspection renders it quite perplexing to the customer to decide upon the tiles suited to a particular purpose in a room the decoration of which may he or isi-n a certain pattern, or

according to .a definite color scheme, andlsuch I display of all the tiles may he and frequently does lead to mistakes in the selection of the tiles .tohe ordered, and which such indiscriminate display is from one standpoint a convenience for the customer, "yet from other standpointsit leads to confusion and perplexity inlthe selection of tiles.

' According'to the presentinvention, provision 1s made by a seriesoit panelsfor the -d1splay of difi'erenttiles',.or differently colored tiles, all the tilesjof one color being carried hv one panel, and said similarly colored tiles being'mounted on the panel in the same way as they would appear in a wall, floor, or other surface." Thus the difierent panels carry dif' ferently ,colo'red tiles, or tiles of [diilerent patterns, and said panels are adapted to he brought into view at will, one after the other, for inspection by the customer, so that when any one panel is exposed to View all the other lot time is attained.

Bythis structure and mode of procedure the tiles are displayed for inspection,-compar.ison

and selection, avoiding confusion and error, and facil tating the labor, whereby economy In a practical form ofthe invention,

Series of panels are used, the panels ofone series ibeing normally hid from view at one side of a large viewing opening provided in an appropriate housing, whereas the panels of the other series are hid from view at theopposite side of said opening or said housing, but in the display of the tiles to the customer,

either panel of either series may. he pulled it out ofthe concealing space and brought to restin' the plane of the viewing opening .so

as .to expose the tiles on that particular panel for inspection. The panels are positioned vertically, in compact relation, and usually they are slidalole horizontally so as. .to'lhe guided .for -movement in determined paths with reference to the viewing opening... .It is preferred, although not essential, .to illuminate, the apparatus ina way to throw liight from the source of illumination on the tiles,

and, further, to provide a curtain .or curtains to be drawn across the viewing opening .for

concealing the tiles from view. For pertain effects, the apparatus may take the form lot a miniature theatre,-although this .is op tional. 1

Other functions and advantages of the invention will appear from the following -descriptiontaken in connection with the a ccompanyingldrawings, wherein r 4 Figure 1 is, a front view in elevationozt one form of the apparatus illustrating the invention as embodied in an appropriate housing having the semblance .to a theatre proscenium in miniature.

Figure 2 is a front "elevation, on .aisomewhat larger scale, showing; a skeletonized housing or framework for the operating means associated with two series'of panels positioned normally in concealed relation to viewing opening and. at opposite sides thereoi. V V V a V Figure 3 isa vertical sectional elevation through the apparatus of Figure 2, taken stihstantially centrally thereof. a v

Figure 4 is a detail front view of one of the panel carriers and a single panel mounted thereon, illustrating partly some of the tiles on said panel.

Figure 5 is a detail view illustrating guiding means at the bottom of one panel carrier for directing the latter in a definite path of movement.

Figure 6 is a detail cross sectional view illustrating one form of light housing employed at the front of the apparatus, an incandescent lamp being shown in dotted lines.

Various operating parts and devices of my exhibitor or display apparatus are support -d by and within an appropriate housing or framework, indicated generally in the drawings by the reference character A. Such framework is of skeleton formation, with a large viewing opening, B, extending from front to rear, and at the respective sides of said opening are positioned the panels or panel carriers, two series of which are usually employed, one series being indicated at C, and the other series at D.

Obviously, the particular form of the framework A to be used may be embodied in various constructional forms, one of which is shown in drawings as illustrative of the lilvention. As therein shown, the framework comprises vertical members a, horizontal members a, and a flooring a said members a, a,and flooring a being of any desirable material and assembled as determined by a skilled constructor. lit the front of the apparatus, the framework is concealed by appropriate means, but in the form selected for illustration, a proscenium arch, E, is used "Ith a viewing opening in line with the space E, and across which opening may be drawn a curtain or drapery F for shutting off the view. The proscenium may be ornamented by the use of tile work on the front thereof, as at e in Figure 1, or other ornamentation may be resorted to for lending to the attractiveness of the display. Again, the type of curtain or drapery F may be altered as desired, but as shown there are a plurality of curtains, supported by rings 7, the latter being slidablc at will on a horizontal curtain rod f, concealed from view by a housing 7, attached to the framework or to the proscenium, in a de sirable manner.

The panels C, D, are in two series, the panels C of one series being concealed from view ordinarily at one side of the viewing opening B, whereas the panels D of the other series are concealed from view usually at the opposite side of said opening B, see Figure 2; but it is to be noted that at the will of the salesman, either panel of either series C or D may be shifted from the out-of-service position of Figure 2 to a place within or across the viewing opening B, r presented in Figure 1, whereby the only panel in the line of vision is that one which occupies the view- Kari) ing opening, as a result of which mode of displaying the tiles, the view of the customer is restricted or limited to the tiles on the one panel thus temporarily displayed. The panels C, D, are similar in construction, so that a description of one panel will serve for all the others.

Referring now to Figures 3, l and 5, the panel comprises a plurality of elongated bars or rods 0, hangers c, a trolley 0 an overhead track 0', a foot rail (Z, and guide rollers d. The rods or bars 0 extend vertically within the framework, and are parallel to provide a surface against which a panel board is fitted in compact relation to said bars or rods. This panel board. is composed of any thin substantial material suitable for the purpose, such, for example, as that composite material known in the building trades as beaver board. The panel board indicated at G is attached fixedly in a desirable manner to the bars or rods 0 of the panel carrier; as shown in Figure 5, the lower ends of the bars or rods are bent forwardly and then upwardly at g to provide a seat in which is fitted the lower marginal portion of the panel board, Whereas the upper portion of said panel board is clamped against the bars or rods by bolts g.

The panel board is thus seated on the rods or bars and clamped thereto so as to impose the weight of the panel board and the tiles attached thereto upon the rods or bars, and said panel board is readily demountable from said rods or bars by loosening the bolts 9 and lifting the panel board out of the seat 9, thus allowing panel boards with different tile assemblies to be interchanged with facility. The hangers c are attached to the upper ends of the bars or rods, and these hangers are equipped with rollers or wheels 0 acting as a trolley for the free sliding movement of the panel as an entirety. The trolley slides on a trackway 0 of suitable form fixed in an overhead position to the framework, thus making provision for suspending the panel in a way to adapt it for sliding movement to and from the service position. A foot rail (l is fastened to the bent seat portion 9 of the parallel rods or bars 0, and this foot rail is provided with a channel or groove d open at the underside of the foot rail. A plurality of guide rollers d are fixedly attached by screws d to the floor a see Figure 5, and these guide rollers are in the vertical plane of the overhead trackway 0 or substantially so (see Figure 3). The panel carrier is thus suspended by v the trolley and guided by the rollers to preclude swaying movement of the panel, thus directing the movement of the panel in a determined path, and overcoming a tendency of one panel to strike or rub against an adjacent panel or panels, whereby dislodgmentof the tiles is precluded. It is desirable to employ a member H at the top part of the panel carrier, serving as a spacer 7 a d p 1i g,permanently attached to the when dismounting and interchanging: the

5 panel boards. Said member H maybecomposed ofthe same materialastheipanel board, but as itis above the line of vision through the-opening B, itis not ordinarily required 'to be supplied with tilestobe displayed.

I Provision is made for the illumination of the display on the panels when occupyingthe viewing opening "B. Accordingly, there is provided .a light housing I, one on each side of the viewing opening, andwithin said housing is positioned ascries ofe'lectr'ic lamps Each light housing is in the form of a channeled casing, approximately Vsha ped in I horizontal cross section,'and said housing is erected verticallyon the proscenium front E,

at one edge of the-op'ening B, see Figures 2 and 3. Thelig'ht housings I at the opposite sides of 'theopening are fixedly secured in position for theopen sides of'the channels to 'facetoward the interior of the exhibitonand, if desired, these housings are provided with -mirrored or reflectingsurfaces, at t'in: Figure I 6, so as to throw the rays of light emanating from the lamps against the tiles displayed on the panel when the latter is moved into the service position across'the viewing opening.

It is apparent that the electric lamps should be wired for the supply of electric current from an available source of supply; as shown, a switch box I is provided on one of the housings (see Figure 2), with appropriate switches for controlling the flow of current to the lamps in the respective housings I. In my exhibitor the housing is provided with two storage compartments, one at either side of the viewing opening, and the trackways at top and bottom of the housing extend crosswise of the two compartments and said viewing opening. There are at least two panel carriers on each trackway, and said panel carriers on each trackway are in the path of each other. This provision of the storage compartments at the opposite sides of the viewing opening increases the capacity of the exhibitor for the storage of panels and panel carriers, two series being employed, 7 one series for each compartment. By using trackways which extend crosswise of the compartments'and the viewing opening I am enabled to utilize the panel carriers on each 5 trackway to attain a functionnew in this art,

- i. e. one panel carrier acts as a stop to the sliding movement of the other panel carrier on the same trackway, and thus either panel 'car-' =t-rackway.

same color on diflierent panels.

t'we'lve panels are employed in the series 0, and a-similarnumber of panel-sare provided what-I claim as new'and desire contact with the other panel on the .sariie The commodity, such as tiles, are attached to the face of each panel board by any suitable means, such as by an adhesive. It is preferred to display tiles in the manner in which'they-areto-appear in a 'wallor floor, so

that'in the displayzto the View of a customer,

"the tiles present the appearance they occupy when installed. Thus in Figure 2, each panel C, Dfis's'hown as havingtiles assembled as 'in a .Inosaic fiooring, but the assemblage and character of the tiles will be modified and changed on the severalpanels. In'the case "of wall tiles of a particular 00101, .2111 the tiles of that particular color are attached to a panel board in simulation of a floor -or wall as .the case maybe. 'Difierentlycoloredtiles are used on the dilierent panel-s and it is ieasible tosemploy different shades of the As shown,

'in'seriesl), making provision for a total display of twenty-four different kinds or tiles,

all arranged compactly within a'space of 'sma':l l:d1mens1ons, and enabling the d fferent kinds of t ilesto 'be brought into view with facility, whereby confusion isavoided and the customer is able to make selections as to appearance and color to the best advantage; 'Of course, the number of panels 'may be increased'or' decreased as found expedient, but the essential feature is that there is brought into view of the customer tiles of a particumoved with ease fromthe out-o'f-service position "to the service position bounded by the viewing'opening, the draperies and lighting lar-colororcharacter,displayed in the order' they'appear in a wall or floor. Each panel is facilities adding to the attractiveness of the display, and confining the view of the spectator to the sp'ecialor se'lec'tedtiles under observation'and inspection. The illumination maybe turned on or shutoff as requirechand the draperies may be closed to exclude dust and dirt, or they may be opened to permit access to "the panels-or either of them. The

exhibitor is installed in a-show room wherein isdi splayed a variety of tiles in different shapes, grades, colors, and surrounded with other factors for the-considerationof the purchaser, but in the final analysis, the display of tides by the exhibitor affords the safest end portion affording a seat, a member fixed to therrods and -"connectingthe-same, and

to secure by hangers fixedly attached to the upper ends of said rods, in combination with a housing provided with storage compartments and with a viewingopening, trackways extending crosswise of the compartments and said opening, said hangers being movable on said trackways for limiting the panel carriers to movement in rectilinear paths, there being at least two panel carriers on each trackway and said panel carriers being positioned one in the path of the other whereby either panel carrier occupying a concealed position func tions as a stop to the other panel carrier on the same trackway when the latter panel car rier occupies a service position exposed through the viewing opening.

2. In a tile exhibiting and displaying de vice, a panel carrier comprising a plurality of rods, a foot rail attached to said rods and connecting the lower ends thereof, said foot rail being provided with a groove, in the lower side thereof, and a member connecting the rods at the upper portions thereof, in combination with a housing provided with storage compartments and with a viewing opening, trackways extending crosswise of the compartments and said viewing opening, there being at least two panel carriers on each tracliway and said panel carriers being one in the path of the other for one panel carrier occupying a concealed position to function as a stop to the sliding movement of the other panel carrier when shifted on the same trackway to a service position exposed through the viewing opening.

8. A tile exhibiting and displaying means, comprising a housing provided with storage compartments and with a viewing opening, traclrways extending across the compartments and said opening, a panel carrier formed at its one end with a seat and provided with means intermediate its ends for clamping a tile panel on the panel carrier, hangers mounted on the other end of said panel carrier, said hangers being movable on said trackways for guiding the panel carrier in a rectilinear path, there being at least two panel carriers on each trackway and said panel carriers being positioned one in the path of the other whereby a panel carrier occupying a concealed position functions as a stop to the other panel carrier on. the same trackway when the latter panel carrier occupies a service position exposed through the viewing opening. I

4. A tile exhibiting and displaying device comprising a housing, trachways at the to p and bottom of said housing, said trachways extending across the housing, panel carriers each being provided with a seat and clamping means for rigidly securing a tile panel in position on said panel carrier, a grooved foot rail mounted on one end of each of the panel carriers, each of the panel carriers being provided with trolleys slidably mounted on the trackways at the top of the housing, the

grooved foot rail being adapted to be guided by the trackway on the bottom of the housing, said panel carriers being movable on said trackways for guiding the panel carriers in rectilinear paths.

5. In a tile exhibiting and displaying device, a panel carrier comprising a plurality of rods positioned vertically and in side by side relation, each rod having a bent lower end portion aiiording a seat adapted to support a tile panel, a member fixed to the rods and connecting the same, hangers fixedly attached to the upper ends of said rods, and securing means on said panel carrier adapted to engage a portion of a tile panel to clamp the same in position on said seat.

6. In a tile exhibiting and displaying device, a panel carrier comprising a plurality of spaced rods in side by side relation, each rod having a bent lower end portion affording a seat and a clamping means intermediate its ends, a member fixed to the rods and connecting the same, and hangers fixedly attached to the upper ends of said rods, said being adapted to receive a tile panel, and said clamping means being adapted to clamp a tile panel on said carrier.

In testimony whereof I have hereto signed. my name this 19th day of September, 1927.

WILLIAM MCCOY. 

